Hydraulic control mechanism for machine tools



June 5, 1956 E. J. HIRVONEN 2,748,629

HYDRAULIC CONTROL MECHANISM FOR MACHINE TOOLS Filed Oct. 50, 1950 18 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

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HYDRAULIC CONTROL MECHANISM FOR MACHINE TOOLS l8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 30, 1950 INVENTOH.

ERIC J. H: RVONEN.

June 5, 1956 E. J. HIRVQNEN 2,748,629

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HYDRAULIC CONTROL MECHANISM FOR MACHINE TOOLS l8 Sheets-Sheet 11 Filed Oct. 30, 1950 INVENTOR.

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HYDRAULIC CONTROL MECHANISM FOR MACHINE TOOLS l8 Sheets-Sheet 15 Filed Oct. 30, 1950 June 5, 1956 E. J. HIRVONEN 2,748,629

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HYDRAULIC CONTROL MECHANISM FOR MACHINE TOOLS Filed Oct. 50, 1950 1,8 Sheets-Sheet l8 INVENTOR. ERIC J. H lRVONEN.

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United States Patent HYDRAULIC CONTROL MECHANISM FOR MACHINE TOOLS Eric J. Hirvonen, Shrewsbury, Mass, assignor to Leland- Gilford Company, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application October 30, 1950, Serial No. 192,864

22 Claims. (Cl. 7732.4)

This invention relates in general to tool feeds for machine tools and more particularly to hydraulically actuated machine tool feeds wherein new and improved hydraulic means is provided for imparting four conditions of feed to a tool, i. e., stop or neutral condition, rapid advance until a point is reached where the tool contacts the work, slow feed while the tool is actually operating on the work, and rapid reverse at a point where the tool should be retracted for clearing of chips, application of coolant, etc.

The principal object of the present invention resides in the provision of new and improved means for carrying out the feed conditions of the machine tool as above described, the main features of the present invention residing in extreme flexibility of the apparatus whereby the operator is enabled to set the machine for any conditions of operation desired. For instance, if it is desired to drill an extremely small hole in hard material, e. g., stainless steel, the machine will automatically advance, feed, retract, etc., as many times and as often as is necessary to drill the hole with maximum efficiency and accuracy; and on the other hand, much larger holes may be drilled and drilled much faster in softer materials.

The harder the material, the more steps of feed are required, and the shorter the drilling step will be, but this is easily accomplished by the present machine with "Ice vision of devices which insure constant and positive operation of the machine without requiring attention on the part of the operator as to the resetting for successive holes, etc., and at the same time special mechanism is provided making it very easy to change the setting or to reset the machine.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. la is a view in side elevation of the machine illustrating the present invention;

Fig. lb is a view in front elevation thereof;

Fig. 1c is a view in front elevation of another machine embodying the same invention;

Fig. 1d is a side View thereof;

Fig. 2a is aview in vertical section through the drilling head of the present invention;

Fig. 2b is a detail view on a reduced scale illustrating the driving sleeve for the drill spindle;

Fig. 3a is a view in elevation of a control element, parts in section;

Fig. 3b is a view in side elevation thereof, partly in section;

Fig. 3c is a view on an enlarged scale illustrating the relationship between certain parts of the control devices a minimum of set-up or adjustment required on the part of the operator.

Further objects of the invention include the provision of hydraulic feed means as above described, in combination with certain new and improved mechanical control step merely by a turn of a convenient knob, so that the operator may take the fullest advantage of the combination of circumstances involving tool size and hardness of the material and depth of hole, whereby the present machine presents a device having the maximum of efliciency in production work.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of the various parts of the present apparatus in easily assembled blocks or units, each of which is self-contained but so made as to assemble with the other units to exact fit for immediate operation.

A further object of the invention resides in a novel hydraulic systemwhich is self-cleaning and self-regulatory, and in. which all parts are automatically connected to drain upon non-operational positioning thereof, avoiding many deficiencies of the prior'art.

Still further objects of the invention reside in the proof Figs. 3a and 3b;

Fig. 3d is a section on line 3d3d of Fig. 3b;

Fig. 3e is a section on line 32-32 of Fig. 3b;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3f3f of Fig. 3b;

Fig. 3g is a section on line 3g3g of Fig. 30;

Fig. 4a is a view in elevation of the spindle control rods, parts being in section;

Fig. 4b is a view in elevation illustrating arblock or blocks assembled together and making up a part of the control system;

Fig. 4c is a bottom plan view of the subject matter of Fig. 4b, parts being broken away;

Fig. 5a is a view similar to Fig. 4b but illustrating the part of the control means removed and showing how the same is assembled;

Fig. 5b is a view in elevation of Fig. 5a, looking in the direction of Fig. 5b;

Fig. 5c is a bottom plan view of the subject matter of Fig. 5a;

Fig. 6a is a section on line 6a-6a of Fig. 4a;

Fig. 6b is a section on line 6b-6b of Fig. 4a;

Fig. 6c is a view in elevation illustrating a block containing a starting valve for the device;

Fig. 6d is a vertical section on line 6d6d of Fig. 4b;

Fig. 6e is a vertical section similar to Fig. 6d but illustrating the slip block and associated parts;

Fig. 7b is a perspective view of one of the control rods which is omitted in Fig. 7a but which is assembled therewith in the operation of the machine;

Fig. 8c is a horizontal section through the main valve;

Fig. 8d is a section similar to that of Fig. 8a but omitting the operating shaft;

Fig. 8e is a view in side elevation of a part of the control means;

Fig. Bf is a side view thereof;

Fig. 8g is a section on an enlarged scale of the top end of the operator of Fig. 8a;

Figs. 9a, 9b, 9c and 9d represent the main valve in its four different positions, neutral, feed, rapid advance, and rapid return respectively of the spindle;

Fig. 9e is a diagram illustrating the relative cycle of the main valve;

Figs. 10a, 10b and 10c show in perspective'corresponding side surfaces of three plates going to make up a block shown in perspective in Fig. 10d;

Figs. 10c, 10 and 10g show respectively theLDPRQ ite sides of the plates of Figs. 10a, 10b and 100;

Figs. 10h, li, j, 10k and 10m illustrate various sections through these plates on the respective lines indicated;

Figs. 11a, 11b and 110 illustrate another series of plates in perspective, which, when put together, producethe valve block shown in Fig. 11d;

Figs. 1 1e, 11f and 11g show the opposite sides of'the plates of Figs. 11c, 11b and 11c;

Fig. 1 1h shows the block of Fig. 11d inverted;

Fig. 12a is a section through the regulating valve;

Fig. 12b is a section through the restarter valve;

Fig. 12c is a section on line 12c-12c of Fig. 12b;

Fig. 12d is a section through one of the regulating valves;

Figs. 12c, 12 12g, 12k and 12: illustrate details thereof on an enlarged scale;

Figs. 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d are hydraulic diagrams illustrating the main and regulating valves in rapid advance, rapid return, feed and neutral respectively;

Fig. 14 is a combined perspective and diagrammatic view illustrating the control means for the machine in their operative relations for neutral or stop position;

Figs. 14a, 14b and 14c are diagrammatic views illustrating the relationship between the stop lever and the reset lever;

Fig. 15 is a view similar to Fig. 14 showing the parts in feeding condition;

Fig; 16 is a view similar to Fig. 14 illustrating the parts in the condition for rapid return;

Fig. 17 is a view similar to Fig. 14 illustrating theparts in condition for rapid advance;

Fig. 18a is a perspective view of the lower'end of the control means and a drill head showing a modification;

Fig. 18b is aview on an enlarged scale, partly in section, illustrating the modification;

Fig. 180 is a sectional view, looking down on the stop lever and illustrating its motion;

Fig. 18 d is a view similar to 18b but showing the assembly of the modified device with the stop lever; and

Fig. 182 isia view in section illustrating the-relationship between the modified device, the stop lever, and the drill head.

This invention is herein illustrated as applied to a drilling machine but is not limited to use in such a machine alone, finding use wherever needed or desired, particularly in the field of machine tools. Figs. la and 1b illustrate a vertical machine having a base 10, a standard 12, a table orbed 14 adjusted vertically by a screw'16 and crank 18 or other means along a ways 20- on the standard. The top end of the standard supports across member 22 in which are appropriate driving means, etc., to rotate a spindle 24 from a motor 26, preferably .at a variety of speeds. This motor depends from the cross member and tends to balance the hydraulic drill-feed mechanism generally indicated at 28 comprising the feed means for the spindle and to which this invention generally relates.

The spindle is vertically adjustable byrotatingahandle 30 upon loosening a conventional collar by a handle 32,

and in any adjusted position, the spindle has imparted thereto four conditions, i. e., stop or neutral, rapid advance until the point of the drill 34 touches or just about touches the work 36, feed, and rapid reverse.

The same mechanism is set up horizontally as seen in Figs. lo and 1d wherein the base 38 supports the hydraulic system, pump, etc., and at its end carries a standard 40 mounting motor 42 in driving relation to the spindle, which is exactly the same as in Figs. la and lb.

Whether the spindle is horizontal or vertical, the motor 26 is bolted to the main frame and drives pulley 102 by belt 104 passing over take-up 106, pulley 102 driving the spindle. A belt 103 also driven by the motor passes over take-up and .drives pulley 112 on a shaft 114 operating a dual pump 116 according to the invention described in copending application Serial No. 741,139, filed April 12, 1947. The details of this pump are omitted herein but may be referred to as in the application identified.

A housing 118 acts as a reservoir for the fluid used to 'feed and retract the spindle and appropriate passages for the fluid are provided in the walls of the housing and a. set of blocks to be described. An air-outlet is provided at 120, this outlet having a filter to contain the fluid but pass air.

Pulley 102 is keyed to drive a sleeve 122 having bearings 124 maintaining the sleeve axially fixed. The sleeve depends and is provided at its lower end interiorly thereof with a set of axially directed splines 126 keyed to the spindle 24 as at 128 for rotational driving of the spindle by the sleeve and axial adjustment of the former relative to the latter. The spindle is rotarily journalled in a sleeve 130 as at 132 and 134, the latter bearing being made in such a way as'to cause the spindle and sleeve 130 to move axially together. However, the sleeve 130 is fixed against rotation by a sleeve or cylinder 136 splined to sleeve 130 as at 138, and has a rack 140 operated by a gear 142 to manually adjust the spindle relative to the work. Gear 142 is located in head 143 which reciprocates to feed and retract the tool spindle.

Cylinder 137 reciprocates with head 143, the spindle, and sleeve 122, and at the upper end it carries a piston arrangement 144 including rings, packing, etc. The memher 146 is the cylinder for this piston, and the reference numeral 148 indicates the top or pressure side thereof, which has twice the area of the bottom side of the piston as represented by the space 150. The fluid is ofcourse pumped from the dual pump to the top of the cylinders and exhausted at 152 to the reservoir, as will be described.

In Fig. 2a the piston, spindle, etc. are at the extreme upper limit of travel, and on the head there is arranged a post 154 having a notch 156 receiving a ball 158 in'an inclined bore 160. A spring 162 urges the ball down to the left. The angularity of the bore is such that the ball cannot be displaced up to the right merely by the weight of the reciprocal structure, but needs pressure applied thereto to'relcase the head. On the other hand, the post easily displaces the ball as the structure rises to approach the extreme upper limit, and the spring urging the ball into the notch automatically locks the head, spindle, etc. in uppermost position. The normal range of reciprocation during operation on work does not include a head position as high as that of the locked position shown in this Fig. 20.

Figs. 13c and 15 show the main valve and selfregulating valve 182 for the speed of the spindle feed. The main valve has four positions, see Figs. 9, l2 and 13 and is'moved through the cycle of these positions by a combined hydraulic and mechanical means to be described. The cycle isneutral, rapid advance to the work or bottom of hole 'so far drilled, feed, and rapid retractionJNeutr-al or stop position is shown in Fig. 13d, the piston 144 is at the top of the cylinder, represented by T, B-representing the bottom or lower side ofthe cylinder. The self-regulating valve is at the left, held thereby 

